Girdle crotch construction



Sept. 28, 1965 M. c. FRIDOLPH GIRDLE CROTCH CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 22, 1963 1N VEN TOR. M4005 CO/MSTA/VCE Fk/OO Pl-l BY ifr/mq KM W Sept. 28, 1965 M. c. FRIDOLPH GIRDLE CROTGH CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 22, 1963 V 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

MA U015 CO/VJTAA/Ci FR/D 04 PH ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,208,455 GIRDLE CROTCH CONSTRUCTION Maude Constance Fridolph, 269 Crescent Bay Drive,

Laguna Beach, Calif. Filed Aug. 22, 1963, Ser. No. 303,834 10 Claims. (Cl. 128-529) This invention relates to girdles, and particularly to the crotch construction of girdles.

It has heretofore been proposed that in brief type girdles without legs, the crotch might be made by utilizing two identical anels in partially overlapping relation as shown, for example, in the patent to Cohen, No. 2,476,585, issued July 19, 1949. In the Cohen patent, the girdle functions in the normal manner with the overlapping panels which define the crotch defining an opening that is open at all times, and wherein the panels move as the wearer moves, thereby varying the size of the opening.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved girdle construction of the pantie girdle type incorporating leg portions wherein the crotch is completely closed and remains so throughout all movements of the wearer except at the discretion of the wearer to attend to ersonal needs.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a girdle which utilizes crotch pieces constructed and arranged so that the crotch pieces do not affect and are not affected by movements of the wearer.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a invention.

FIG. 2 is a back elevation of the girdle shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of a modified form of girdle.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale, taken along the line 44 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a crotch piece utilized in the girdles shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4.

FIG. 6 is an overlay of the two crotch pieces of the girdle shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the crotch piece utilized in the girdle shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 9 is an overlay of the plan view of the crotch pieces used in the girdle shown in FIG. 3.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a girdle 10 embodying the invention comprises a body portion 11 which encircles the hips of the wearer and can be of any well known conventional design, and leg portions 12 which encircle the legs of the wearer and are connected to the body portion 11 either integrally or by sewing. The body portion 11 and leg portions 12 surround the hips and legs in such a manner as to erform their supporting function without reference to the nature of the crotch. In other words, the body 11 and legs 12 are operative even in the absence of the crotch construction that is presently described.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the crotch of the garment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is made up of identical crotch pieces 13, each of which has first generally arcuate inwardly concave edges 14 along one side, and a second generally arcuate inwardly concave edge 15 along its opposite side. The ends 16 of each crotch piece are enlarged and have arcuate generally convex edge surfaces 17 which cooperate with edges 14, 15 to form apexes 17a. The crotch pieces, being substantially identical in size and shape, are connected together as shown in FIG. 6, by inverting one relative to the other and overyling their ends 16. In this position the first arcuate edge 14 of one crotch piece is adjacent the second arcuate edge 15 of the other crotch piece. The major portions of the crotch pieces 13 are overlapping. The two crotch ieces are preferably sewn to one another by stitches 18 and the free arcuate edges 14 are girdle embodying the double stitched as at 19. The two crotch pieces are then sewn to the leg and body portions of the girdle 10 along the second side edges 15. Side edge 15 of each crotch piece extends outwardly as at 15a so that the side edge conforms completely and accurately with the corresponding edge of the leg portion of the girdle. The crotch pieces are preferably transversely inelastic and longitudinally elastic.

By this arrangement the closed at all times. portion or ends crotch opening is completely The provision of the upper enlarged 16 of the crotch pieces substantially at the pubic arch in front with the apexes 17a at substantial ly the widest point of the hips causes both horizontal forces and downward forces to be concentrated at the apexes 17a. As a result, none of the forces on the various portions of the girdle are transmitted to the crotch pieces during movement of the wearer and no strain is placed on the crotch pieces. The crotch pieces thus maintain their overlapping relationship at all times except when the wearer wishes to manually open the crotch opening.

In the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 3, 8 and 9, each of the crotch pieces 13' are substantially identical to those shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, except that the end portions 16 have tapered side edges 20 which extend to form an apex along which the crotch pieces are sewn to the girdle. It can thus be seen that there has been provided a crotch construction for girdles which effectively closes the crotch opening of the girdle and wherein the opening is maintained closed at all times throughout all movements of the wearer. In the preferred arrangement as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the horizontal line through the laterally extending points crotch piece will be at the widest hip line of the girdle when on the wearer, and the horizontal line to the point 1711 at the back of the girdle may be a little below the widest point of the girdle when on the wearer; the important thing is that the points 17a of the crotch piece, both at the front and back, will be generally at the widest hip line of the girdle when on the wearer, whereby when the girdle is on the wearer the horizontal stress and stretch will be generally along the line 17a both front and back, and this, together with the downwardly and outwardly forces of the leg portions of the girdle, when on the wearer, will leave the crotch pieces relatively free and with the result that there will be no binding by the crotch pieces.

What I claim is:

1. In a girdle, the combination comprising a body portion adapted to encircle the hips of a wearer,

leg portions connected to the sides of said body portion and adapted to encircle the legs of a wearer,

said body portion and leg portions being completely operative for their intended function of support,

a pair of substantially identical crotch pieces,

each said crotch piece comprising a first generally arcuate inwardly concave side edge,

each crotch piece comprising a second generally arcuate inwardly concave side edge,

said crotch pieces being of substantially identical size and shape and having enlarged ends extending from said side edges,

each said crotch piece being sewn along its second side edge at least in part to the leg portion of the girdle, each said crotch piece being sewn along the edges of its ends to the girdle,

said first side edges overlapping said second side edges.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein the major portion of one crotch piece overlaps the major portion of the other crotch piece.

3. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein the edge of each end of each crotch piece is arcuate and generally concave.

17a of the upper enlarged part of the 4. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein the enlarged end of each crotch piece has inclined edges terminating in an apex.

5. The combination set forth in claim 1 wherein said second side edge of each said crotch piece has a central outwardly extending portion so that said second side edge conforms with its respective leg portion.

6. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein said side edges and said ends of said crotch pieces terminate in laterally extending apexes at substantially the widest hip portions of the girdle, the ends at the front covering the pubic arch when on the wearer.

7. In a girdle, the combination comprising a body portion adapted to encircle the hips of a wearer,

leg portions connected to the sides of said body portion and adapted to encircle the legs of a wearer, said body portion and leg portions being completely operative for their intended function of support,

a pair of substantially identical crotch pieces,

each said crotch piece comprising a first generally arcuate inwardly concave side edge,

each crotch piece comprising a second generally arcuate inwardly concave side edge,

said crotch pieces being of substantially identical size and shape and each said crotch piece having enlarged ends extending from said side edges,

each said crotch piece being sewn along its second side edge at least in part to the leg portion of the girdle with the enlarged end of each crotch piece at the front of the garment substantially at the level corresponding to the widest portion of the body of the garment and overlying the pubic arch when on the wearer,

each said crotch piece being sewn along the edges of its ends to the girdle, said first side edges overlapping said second side edges. 8. In a pantie girdle having a body portion and leg 5 portions, the combination comprising a crotch structure formed of two pieces, the side edge of one piece being sewn, at least in part, to a leg portion of the pantie girdle, and an opposite portion of the other piece being sewn, at least in part, to the other leg portion of the girdle, said two pieces being so shaped as to completely overlap at all times, the end portions of the crotch pieces being enlarged and connected to the body portion of the girdle,

said enlarged portions being within the area of the widest part of the girdle when on the wearer whereby the horizontal stresses applied to the crotch structure when the girdle is on the wearer will be absorbed substantially by the enlarged portions. 9. The combination set forth in claim 8 wherein said two pieces of said crotch structure are identical.

10. The combination set forth in claim 8 wherein the central portions of each piece are generally arcuate in form and extend in opposite directions.

r 20 References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,405,000 1/22 Redmond 128-454 30 2,476,585 7/49 Cohen l28529 2,529,115 11/50 Thalman 128-529 2,969,068 1/61 Murdock l28524 ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A GIRDLE, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A BODY PORTION ADAPTED TO ENCIRCLE THE HIPS OF A WEARER, LEG PORTIONS CONNECTED TO THE SIDES OF SAID BODY PORTION AND ADAPTED TO ENCIRCLE THE LEGS OF A WEARER, SAID BODY PORTION AND LEG PORTIONS BEING COMPLETELY OPERATIVE FOR THEIR INTENDED FUNCTION OF SUPPORT, A PAIR OF SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL CROTCH PIECES, EACH SAID CROTCH PIECE COMPRISING A FIRST GENERALLY ARCUATE INWARDLY CONCAVE SIDE EDGE, EACH CROTCH PIECE COMPRISING A SECOND GENERALLY ARCUATE INWARDLY CONCAVE SIDE EDGE, SAID CROTCH PIECES BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL SIZE AND SHAPE AND HAVING ENLARGED ENDS EXTENDING FROM SAID SIDE EDGES, EACH SAID CROTCH PIECE BEING SEWN ALONG ITS SECOND SIDE EDGE AT LEAST IN PART TO THE LEG PORTION OF THE GIRDLE, EACH SAID CROTCH PIECE BEING SEWN ALONG THE EDGES OF ITS ENDS TO THE GIRDLE, SAID FIRST SIDE EDGES OVERLAPPING SAID SECOND SIDE EDGES. 